I'm stunned. I wasn't expecting it to be this bad. In fact, truth be told, I thought it looked kind of cool from the trailers. I thought it might be a decent guilty pleasure. Boy, was I wrong. How bad was this movie? I actually came this close to rewarding it ZERO stars and that's something VERY hard to get from me. That is a rating reserved only for the worst of the worst. So what stopped me from giving this zero stars? Well some admittedly cool visuals and the beauty of Yvonne Strahovsky. Boy, she deserves so much better than this. I was so in love with her in the TV show Chuck. But she's saddled with nothingness in this movie. Aaron Eckhart is a good actor who has given many memorable performances in the past but you wouldn't know that based on his work in this movie. Ditto with all of the good actors in this movie (Strahovsky, Billy Nighey, Mirando Otto, etc). Jai Courtney was excellent in Divergent and Jack Reacher, heck he was even okay in the otherwise terrible A Good Day to Die Hard, but his acting is laughably awful here. God, words can not fathom just how bad this is. Watching this movie was a real chore. A real endurance test. While watching it, I couldn't help but think that it's too bad MST3K is no longer on the air. This movie is ripe for being on that show. It's exactly the kind of movie you would see on that show.

Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:19 am

Ken

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 6:26 pmPosts: 1728

Re: Last Movie You Watched

unwindfilms wrote:

Ebert loved the Final Cut which is the version I have in Blu-Ray and by now I do not remember the original theatrical version

I've never seen the original version--I assume we're referring to the version with the voiceover and the protagonists escaping by car.*

I've considered watching it, but really, why bother?

I did see the Final Cut during its theatrical run, which was cool. Way cool. Absurdly cool. I don't remember spotting more than a few differences from The Director's Cut, which is the version I'm familiar with.

Anyway, count me in among the Blade Runner lovers. One of the greatest science fiction movies ever made.

-

*Flash fact: though I haven't seen it, I have heard that the ending is reused footage from the beginning of The Shining. I guess if you're going to fuck up somebody's great movie, you might as well fuck it up using footage from somebody else's great movie.

_________________The temptation is to like what you should like--not what you do like... another temptation is to come up with an interesting reason for liking it that may not actually be the reason you like it.

Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:51 am

Vexer

Auteur

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 12:02 pmPosts: 3850Location: Zion, IL

Re: Last Movie You Watched

ilovemovies wrote:

I, Frankenstein - 1/2* out of ****

I'm stunned. I wasn't expecting it to be this bad. In fact, truth be told, I thought it looked kind of cool from the trailers. I thought it might be a decent guilty pleasure. Boy, was I wrong. How bad was this movie? I actually came this close to rewarding it ZERO stars and that's something VERY hard to get from me. That is a rating reserved only for the worst of the worst. So what stopped me from giving this zero stars? Well some admittedly cool visuals and the beauty of Yvonne Strahovsky. Boy, she deserves so much better than this. I was so in love with her in the TV show Chuck. But she's saddled with nothingness in this movie. Aaron Eckhart is a good actor who has given many memorable performances in the past but you wouldn't know that based on his work in this movie. Ditto with all of the good actors in this movie (Strahovsky, Billy Nighey, Mirando Otto, etc). Jai Courtney was excellent in Divergent and Jack Reacher, heck he was even okay in the otherwise terrible A Good Day to Die Hard, but his acting is laughably awful here. God, words can not fathom just how bad this is. Watching this movie was a real chore. A real endurance test. While watching it, I couldn't help but think that it's too bad MST3K is no longer on the air. This movie is ripe for being on that show. It's exactly the kind of movie you would see on that show.

Definitely have to disagree here, I didn't think it was that bad at all.

I actually thought Courtney was better there then he was in "Good Day To Die Hard"(which I also found underrated). Anyways I found the story and acting compelling enough with some nice action scenes to compliment it.

Sat Apr 05, 2014 6:00 am

CasualDad

Cinematographer

Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 6:19 pmPosts: 657

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Gravity

Clear to me in watching at home that this would have been something else in the 3-d theater format. I liked the first 2/3rds of the movie. The last third was consistent, but just felt like a pile on - too much repetition of what had gone on before. Thought the technical production and acting were both outstanding. 7/10.

Sat Apr 05, 2014 9:58 am

peng

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:42 pmPosts: 1478Location: Bangkok

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Fear and Desire (1953)

Understandable why Stanley Kubrick would try to dissuade people from seeing his first feature, as it leaves a lot to be desired, especially in the hysterical performances and the choppy editing. That said, even in his first attempt, Kubrick’s cinematic touches still shine through clearly. The story of four soldiers left behind the enemy line and resorted to questionable acts seem like a precursor to the wartime’s moral themes in Paths of Glory. And amidst all the jerky narrative and performances, some scenes remain unexpectedly striking; a stabbing gets its brutality across effectively through camera suggestion (similar to Psycho’s shower scene seven years later); when the group takes a local girl captive and leaves an unstable soldier to look after her, what follows is disturbing in its psychological and sexual tension. As a whole this is not very good, but individual scenes are effective enough that it is worth a watch for any one curious about the master’s early footing. 5.5/10

Perfect Sense (2012)

At first, the central conceit of the senses being ripped away one by one, each with appropriate emotions/reactions preceding them, feels so gimmicky and tailor-made for serving the theme that the heavy-handedness tend to drag down the early proceedings. And it is not helped by the slightly underdeveloped romance between the two leads. Both Eva Green and Ewan McGregor are very good actors though, and they manage to invest emotionally into the relationship enough to make it land. Appropriate for the type of apocalypse taking place, the film’s cinematography and direction are excellent, evoking each sense vividly through the visual before it is taken away from the characters. The way it contrasts the collapsing world with the human’s will to push on is also done with such conviction that I was eventually swept away by its narrative. And it has a great sense of momentum, building to an extremely powerful climax that gives a sudden jolt of extreme optimistic catharsis amidst the bleak world. What comes after might be their darkest endurance test yet, but at least the two leads have this moment to go on, until the next, maybe final, one. 8.5/10

Sat Apr 05, 2014 10:38 am

Thief12

Assistant Director

Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2012 9:35 pmPosts: 882Location: Puerto Rico

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Dirty Harry Although I have a feeling I saw this some time when I was a kid, I really don't remember, so it was pretty much like watching it for the first time. The film was solid, with Clint Eastwood playing the role of the cynical Detective Callahan perfectly. The film skips any twist or surprise regarding the identity of the killer, choosing to go for a cat-and-mouse approach instead, while making its point about crime and legal bureaucracy. I do think the film dragged a bit towards the end, but it was still a fun watch. Grade: B+

At first, the central conceit of the senses being ripped away one by one, each with appropriate emotions/reactions preceding them, feels so gimmicky and tailor-made for serving the theme that the heavy-handedness tend to drag down the early proceedings. And it is not helped by the slightly underdeveloped romance between the two leads. Both Eva Green and Ewan McGregor are very good actors though, and they manage to invest emotionally into the relationship enough to make it land. Appropriate for the type of apocalypse taking place, the film’s cinematography and direction are excellent, evoking each sense vividly through the visual before it is taken away from the characters. The way it contrasts the collapsing world with the human’s will to push on is also done with such conviction that I was eventually swept away by its narrative. And it has a great sense of momentum, building to an extremely powerful climax that gives a sudden jolt of extreme optimistic catharsis amidst the bleak world. What comes after might be their darkest endurance test yet, but at least the two leads have this moment to go on, until the next, maybe final, one. 8.5/10

I gave this **** in fact, and I found it profoundly moving. Particularly the sentence I bolded. This isn't about society collapsing into anarchy, it's about people soldiering on bravely in the face of inevitable darkness. And it's beautiful

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Sat Apr 05, 2014 10:49 pm

Blonde Almond

Cinematographer

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 2:41 pmPosts: 505Location: The Desert

Re: Last Movie You Watched

JamesKunz wrote:

peng wrote:

Perfect Sense (2012)At first, the central conceit of the senses being ripped away one by one, each with appropriate emotions/reactions preceding them, feels so gimmicky and tailor-made for serving the theme that the heavy-handedness tend to drag down the early proceedings. And it is not helped by the slightly underdeveloped romance between the two leads. Both Eva Green and Ewan McGregor are very good actors though, and they manage to invest emotionally into the relationship enough to make it land. Appropriate for the type of apocalypse taking place, the film’s cinematography and direction are excellent, evoking each sense vividly through the visual before it is taken away from the characters. The way it contrasts the collapsing world with the human’s will to push on is also done with such conviction that I was eventually swept away by its narrative. And it has a great sense of momentum, building to an extremely powerful climax that gives a sudden jolt of extreme optimistic catharsis amidst the bleak world. What comes after might be their darkest endurance test yet, but at least the two leads have this moment to go on, until the next, maybe final, one. 8.5/10

I gave this **** in fact, and I found it profoundly moving. Particularly the sentence I bolded. This isn't about society collapsing into anarchy, it's about people soldiering on bravely in the face of inevitable darkness. And it's beautiful

I also think very highly of this one, so much so that I think I ranked it either #1 or #2 on my Top 10 list from a couple years back. One of those films that kind of came out of nowhere and blindsided me.

_________________"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool."Letterboxd Profile

Sat Apr 05, 2014 11:24 pm

ilovemovies

Producer

Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 11:04 amPosts: 2271

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Thief12 wrote:

Dirty Harry Although I have a feeling I saw this some time when I was a kid, I really don't remember, so it was pretty much like watching it for the first time. The film was solid, with Clint Eastwood playing the role of the cynical Detective Callahan perfectly. The film skips any twist or surprise regarding the identity of the killer, choosing to go for a cat-and-mouse approach instead, while making its point about crime and legal bureaucracy. I do think the film dragged a bit towards the end, but it was still a fun watch. Grade: B+

Personally, I think the movie is overrated. And I think the main reason why I didn't like it was because the villain. What a weak, wimpy, whiny bitch of a bad guy. I wanted Clint to knock him out but not because of he's the kind of villain you love to hate but because of how annoying he is. They say an action movie is only as good as it's villain and the villain in this movie sucked.

Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:31 am

nitrium

Director

Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2012 2:42 pmPosts: 1470Location: New Zealand

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Solaris (aka Solyaris) (1972)http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069293/Deeply philosophical sci-fi drama (based on the classic novel by Stanislaw Lem) directed by Andrei Tarkovsky about a scientist who goes to a largely defunct space station (now just 3 crew, down from 85 in the hey days) orbiting the extrasolar ocean planet "Solaris" to find out what is going on there after a strange testimony from a former station resident. Solyaris explores what true alien contact could be like and is far, far more imaginative than that of your typical Hollywood sci-fi fare. Forget the incredibly simplistic concepts of extra-terrestrials, such as those seen in Star Trek (generally), Close Encounters of the Third Kind or E.T. - here the planet itself forms a sort of consciousness, something so alien that even after decades of research humans are really no closer to comprehending its nature than when they first discovered it. Recently, the planet appears to be trying to "communicate" to the occupants of the space station by creating physical manifestations of someone from your past. These entities seemingly have no idea what they really are or where they came from - they have all the memories and characteristics of the original human, but are of course solely based only on memories of them. Themes of what it means to be alive, consciousness, self-awareness - i.e. the very things that define a human being, are explored.Acting by the handful of cast members is excellent, especially the leads Donatas Banionis (as Kelvin) and Natalya Bondarchuk (as his deceased/copy wife, Khari) are superb.Comparison to the George Clooney vehicle of the same name directed by Steven Soderbergh should be briefly mentioned. Other than the the annoyance of subtitles and much flashier sets, the 2002 film is in every way inferior (and for the record, I thought it was actually pretty good at the time). This version is not only truer to the themes of the novel, but its slower pacing allows for greater character development. The only niggle I have (other than the aforementioned subtitles and understandably dated "futuristic" sets) is that the film just starts too slowly; the first 45 minutes (of the 2 hr 46 min running length) are completely set on Earth - imo more closely following the book and starting the film during the docking of the space station (with perhaps a few flashbacks to flesh out the narrative) would have worked better.8.5/10. Overall, this is some very good stuff.

Sun Apr 06, 2014 3:35 am

Vexer

Auteur

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 12:02 pmPosts: 3850Location: Zion, IL

Re: Last Movie You Watched

ilovemovies wrote:

Thief12 wrote:

Dirty Harry Although I have a feeling I saw this some time when I was a kid, I really don't remember, so it was pretty much like watching it for the first time. The film was solid, with Clint Eastwood playing the role of the cynical Detective Callahan perfectly. The film skips any twist or surprise regarding the identity of the killer, choosing to go for a cat-and-mouse approach instead, while making its point about crime and legal bureaucracy. I do think the film dragged a bit towards the end, but it was still a fun watch. Grade: B+

Personally, I think the movie is overrated. And I think the main reason why I didn't like it was because the villain. What a weak, wimpy, whiny bitch of a bad guy. I wanted Clint to knock him out but not because of he's the kind of villain you love to hate but because of how annoying he is. They say an action movie is only as good as it's villain and the villain in this movie sucked.

The actor who played Scorpio claimed he truly felt bad about playing someone so evil, so that may be why his performance suffered.

I kind of agree with you, I do feel the sequels are superior as they had better villains and better plots(the villains in Sudden Impact were easily the most loathsome)

I enjoyed Rush very much. Who'd have thought Ron Howard had it in him? If i didn't already know he directed it, i'd have never known.

Rush - which concerns a real F1 rivalry from the 70s - is one of the best sporting biographies i've seen. Directed sharply, and from a clever kind of ground-level perspective when appropriate, and acted very well from the 2 leads.

Perhaps my expectations were low, which then gave it an element of pleasant surprise, but well worth a watch

_________________... because I'm a wild animal

Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:35 am

Sexual Chocolate

Director

Joined: Sun Jun 20, 2010 4:04 pmPosts: 1834Location: New Hampshire

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Thief12 wrote:

Dirty Harry Although I have a feeling I saw this some time when I was a kid, I really don't remember, so it was pretty much like watching it for the first time. The film was solid, with Clint Eastwood playing the role of the cynical Detective Callahan perfectly. The film skips any twist or surprise regarding the identity of the killer, choosing to go for a cat-and-mouse approach instead, while making its point about crime and legal bureaucracy. I do think the film dragged a bit towards the end, but it was still a fun watch. Grade: B+

I've seen Dirty Harry several times, and I've come to the conclusion that as far as the narrative goes, it's a gigantic mess. But man, are the images fantastic. Harry torturing Scorpio on the football field. The young girl's dead body being lifted out of the sewer. Harry tossing his badge at the end. And so on. Don Seigel's great eye for iconic images saves this film. The later films didn't have this advantage; by the fourth and fifth Dirty Harry movies, they were practically parodies of themselves.

_________________Death is pretty finalI'm collecting vinylI'm gonna DJ at the end of the world.

Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:07 am

CasualDad

Cinematographer

Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 6:19 pmPosts: 657

Re: Last Movie You Watched

I've always felt that Scorpio was probably one of the few characters in Dirty Harry that was portrayed in a mostly realistic manner. When I think of actual serial killers, I don't think of high IQ genius just wanting to lord over people with power and control. I think of people that believe for some reason that the world, or humanity, didn't give them a fair turn and they want to spread their misery to others. Not that anything in a fictional story needs to have realism, but I always admired the depiction of Scorpio by the actor and the production staff.

Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:50 am

CasualDad

Cinematographer

Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 6:19 pmPosts: 657

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Man of Steel

I deliberately avoided this movie after reading about how dark it is. Turned out to be much better than I anticipated when I finally saw it last night. Not a whole lot of character development going on and there is a great deal of angst from both massive human casualties and Superman having to battle the last of his race. But the overall tone didn't really strike me as dark. I must admit that I prefer the more lighthearted earlier versions, but I think this was a solid film. I thought the acting was very good and the effects were well done, if not a bit too heavy. 7/10.

Sun Apr 06, 2014 9:01 am

Thief12

Assistant Director

Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2012 9:35 pmPosts: 882Location: Puerto Rico

Re: Last Movie You Watched

ilovemovies wrote:

Personally, I think the movie is overrated. And I think the main reason why I didn't like it was because the villain. What a weak, wimpy, whiny bitch of a bad guy. I wanted Clint to knock him out but not because of he's the kind of villain you love to hate but because of how annoying he is. They say an action movie is only as good as it's villain and the villain in this movie sucked.

I really had no issues with him. He was a mentally unstable man, and that's the way we see him. IMO, a bad guy that's not fully in control is more dangerous than one who is.

vexer wrote:

I kind of agree with you, I do feel the sequels are superior as they had better villains and better plots(the villains in Sudden Impact were easily the most loathsome)

I was about to ask about the sequels. I remember bits and pieces of the last two, but maybe I'll check them all now.

Sexual Chocolate wrote:

I've seen Dirty Harry several times, and I've come to the conclusion that as far as the narrative goes, it's a gigantic mess. But man, are the images fantastic. Harry torturing Scorpio on the football field. The young girl's dead body being lifted out of the sewer. Harry tossing his badge at the end. And so on. Don Seigel's great eye for iconic images saves this film. The later films didn't have this advantage; by the fourth and fifth Dirty Harry movies, they were practically parodies of themselves.

I don't necessarily agree with it being "a mess", but I do agree that it has a lot of iconic images and moments, most notably seeing Harry walk down the street, unfazed by the chaos and the broken hydrant, and the ensuing "Do you feel lucky?" speech.

CasualDad wrote:

I've always felt that Scorpio was probably one of the few characters in Dirty Harry that was portrayed in a mostly realistic manner. When I think of actual serial killers, I don't think of high IQ genius just wanting to lord over people with power and control. I think of people that believe for some reason that the world, or humanity, didn't give them a fair turn and they want to spread their misery to others. Not that anything in a fictional story needs to have realism, but I always admired the depiction of Scorpio by the actor and the production staff.

I gave this **** in fact, and I found it profoundly moving. Particularly the sentence I bolded. This isn't about society collapsing into anarchy, it's about people soldiering on bravely in the face of inevitable darkness. And it's beautiful

Blonde Almond wrote:

I also think very highly of this one, so much so that I think I ranked it either #1 or #2 on my Top 10 list from a couple years back. One of those films that kind of came out of nowhere and blindsided me.

I think I decide upon watching this because I saw it as #1 in both of your 2012 lists (Thanks!). While I don't think of it as highly, the ending alone is worth the watch; one of the best in quite some time. And it's the kind of film that I suspect I might better on rewatch.

Sun Apr 06, 2014 12:03 pm

peng

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:42 pmPosts: 1478Location: Bangkok

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Trouble in Paradise (1932)

There are films that, to borrow a phrase from Roger Ebert’s review of Jerry Macguire, make you want to hug yourself with delight. They don’t come along often enough; among my favorites of them would be My Neighbor Totoro, Singin’ in the Rain, and His Girl Friday. Trouble in Paradise is not quite of those pinnacles, imo, but I still can’t stop smiling the whole way through. The film is just so goddarn clever and charming; Pre-Code in all its glorious innuendos, loose morales, and suggestive closed doors. The encounters delight, the dialogue crackles, and the actors rush into each screwball situation with gleeful relish. I can’t wait to explore more of Lubitsch, and watch this one again soon. 10/10

Killer's Kiss (1955)

Stanley Kubrick’s second film is a slight improvement over Fear and Desire. His filmmaking is more refined and he seems more confident with editing. The trouble is this story is so derivative of other better noirs that it rather plods along until the studio-forced happy ending, only enlivened occasionally by Kubrick’s directional touches, like conveying a backstory during a ballet, and a breathless chase that morphs into a quite intense fight scene near the end. 6/10

Sun Apr 06, 2014 12:08 pm

MGamesCook

Producer

Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:44 pmPosts: 2050

Re: Last Movie You Watched

peng wrote:

Trouble in Paradise (1932)

There are films that, to borrow a phrase from Roger Ebert’s review of Jerry Macguire, make you want to hug yourself with delight. They don’t come along often enough; among my favorites of them would be My Neighbor Totoro, Singin’ in the Rain, and His Girl Friday. Trouble in Paradise is not quite of those pinnacles, imo, but I still can’t stop smiling the whole way through. The film is just so goddarn clever and charming; Pre-Code in all its glorious innuendos, loose morales, and suggestive closed doors. The encounters delight, the dialogue crackles, and the actors rush into each screwball situation with gleeful relish. I can’t wait to explore more of Lubitsch, and watch this one again soon. 10/10

It's good, certainly a gem of its time. I think I appreciate it even more after seeing his musicals of the same period. I'd recommend getting hold of the Lubitsch Musicals collection if you can find a good price on it (though that's difficult to do). But Merry Widow, his most fully realized musical, is unfortunately not a part of the collection.

CasualDad wrote:

Man of Steel

I deliberately avoided this movie after reading about how dark it is. Turned out to be much better than I anticipated when I finally saw it last night. Not a whole lot of character development going on and there is a great deal of angst from both massive human casualties and Superman having to battle the last of his race. But the overall tone didn't really strike me as dark. I must admit that I prefer the more lighthearted earlier versions, but I think this was a solid film. I thought the acting was very good and the effects were well done, if not a bit too heavy. 7/10.

Glad you like it. Yeah it's not quite a downbeat movie in the end. Dark fun, but the fun largely outweighs the dark.

Sun Apr 06, 2014 4:26 pm

Syd Henderson

Director

Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 1:35 amPosts: 1805

Re: Last Movie You Watched

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. It took me about 20 minutes to realize Colonel Blimp was never going to appear. He was a satirical comic strip character of the 1930s, and one of the film's themes is how the values of Blimp became obsolete between 1902 and 1942.

This is the story of Clive Candy (Roger Livesey), later Brigadier General Clive Wynne-Candy, taking him from the Boer War, through the end of the First World War (with a postscript in a prisoner of war camp) and the early years of World War II. In the process, he falls in love with several Deborah Kerrs, of whom there fortunately are enough to go around.

It begins with a hilarious sequence in which a group of soldiers, informed that a training exercise is to begin at midnight, decide to strike pre-emptively (as in Pearl Harbor) and capture the opposing general (Wynne-Candy) in a Turkish bath. A scuffle ensues, Wynne-Candy and the cocky young opposing lieutenant fall in a pool, and Candy emerges forty years younger.

It seems that German newspapers are printing scurrilous stories about British behavior in the Boer War, as Candy is informed by a friend (Kerr) in Germany. He goes to Berlin, a cocky young officer himself, and since the situation is diplomatically delicate, he promptly manages to insult the German officer corps and finds himself in a duel. The Germans have to draw lots to find someone to scar this upstart.

The choice rejoices in the name Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff (a brilliant Anton Walbrook). The two promptly scar each other and they wind up in the same nursing home to recover, bonding with each other over bridge and becoming good friends and rivals for Kerr. The friendship is episodic, and lasts the length of the movie, during which Theo goes from two English phrases to eventually giving one of the most moving monologues in the history of movies. (The one where he explains why he fled the Nazis in Germany to England.)

In the duel, Theo is scarred on the forehead and Clive on the upper lip, which brings up another theme. This is also the story of a great moustache.

Well, there's still an hour and a half of plot to go. This is a long movie (163 minutes), but a grand and moving one, often very funny, with Livesey and Walbrook evolving over forty years. Kerr doesn't have to age because she keeps getting reincarnated. All are very good. The film was made in 1943, and is properly patriotic, but intelligently so. Putting the most profound speeches in the mouth of an expatriate German was somewhat controversial at the time, but plays well now.

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